Playing Out

Playing Out

The following tracks make up the Playing Out section of Toys and Games:An Oral History. Tracks 3 and 6 are available to listen to on-line.

Whips, tops and mischief. a) 2 Males, born 1905 & 1909: describe playing with whips and tops on roads, ‘Tin-a-Lurkey’, bowling with hoops, and ‘Spirit Rapping’. b) Female, born 1902: describes making mischief by knocking on front doors. Tin-a-Lurkey. Male, born 1908: talks about playing ‘Tin-a-Lurkey’ and collecting balls from coconut shys at the annual wake to use for playing hockey and cricket. Sound Yer Holler. Male, born 1920: describes playing ‘Sound Yer Holler’, making a barrow and ‘making your own fun’. Tin-High-Hockey. Male, born 1917: describes playing ‘Tin-High-Hockey’ outside and playing in a tank from the First World War. Talks about making his ‘own fun in those days’. Making Bows and Arrows. Male, born 1908: describes how children made their own fun; describes how to make bows and arrows, and kites from willow, and shooting trout. Adventurous Play in the Colliery. Male, born 1920: describes adventurous play in the colliery, sliding down spoil heaps and igniting gun-powder from the powder sheds! Adventurous Play in the Quarry. Male, born 1932: describes games played with Second World War bomb cases, and escapades in the quarry. Shrove Tuesday. a) Female, born 1913: talks about seeing toys for sale in shop windows and the Shrove Tuesday tradition of boys playing with whips and tops, and girls playing battledore and shuttlecock. b) Female, born 1902: talks about playing battledore and shuttlecock on Shrove Tuesdays, marbles, and skipping. Football. a) Male, born 1908: describes playing football with rolled up socks, or a freshly killed pig’s bladder. b) 2 Males, born 1905 and 1909: describe playing football with a pig’s bladder. Ponies, Tennis and Cricket. Female, born 1919: describes having ponies and walking in the winter, and tennis parties and cricket in the summer. Talks about how, as a girl, she had to keep score, rather than play.

Wartime Games. Female, born 1929: describes playing snobs, hopscotch, double ball, hide and seek, hoop and stick, playing with cigarette cards, and collecting comics during the Second World War. Girls and Boys. Female, born 1951: explains how girls and boys played different games; describes games played by girls: double & triple ball, skipping in the street and ‘French’ skipping. Elastic and Poddy 1-2-3. Female, born 1964: describes games played in and out of school: ‘French’ skipping, Poddy 1-2-3, and collecting conkers. Summer Holidays in Leicester. Female, born 1929: talks about playing indoors in bad weather with dolls and jigsaws. In summer played in the different parks in the city of Leicester. Describes catching the tram to visit the parks. Childhood in East Africa. Female, born 1963: talks about making castles in the sand outside her home in East Africa and sailing paper boats during the rainy season. Childhood in Canada. Female, born 1972: talks about how Canada’s climate means that people play games outside a lot of the time. Describes skipping in the summer and skating in the winter. Foggy Hounds and Poddy 1-2-3. Male, born 1977: describes playing two different running and hiding games.